1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method of erecting the frame or skeleton of and constructing poured concrete floor slabs of a multistory structure.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Construction of large scale structures having poured concrete slabs is a very expensive and somewhat time consuming undertaking. As an example, the step of screeding or finishing of slabs, requires specialized equipment. In the field of roadways and bridges having concrete slabs, the scale of operation has justified screeding apparatus which rides on wheels, spanning the width of the slab, proceeding from one end of a section of poured slab to the opposite end.
Construction of multistory structures having frames or skeletons including vertical columns departs from this practice, since the columns and other members penetrating floor slabs requires that those screeding the slab work around these obstructions. Generally, these obstructions are avoided, where feasible, to reduce the time consuming work of screeding or finishing small areas around the obstructions. However, overall processes of and approaches to constructing multistory slab structures have not been influenced by improving the efficiency of slab formation and finishing.
A small scale practice relating to this concept is commonly found in single unit residential construction. When providing a roughed in bath, the watercloset plumbing is generally set in place in the ground, capped, and the floor of the watercloset is poured thereover. The concrete layer covering the cap is removed, a toilet is set in place thereover, and connected to the roughed in plumbing. The floor can be screeded without working around an obstruction arising from this plumbing. It should be noted that while the screeder has removed one obstacle, the subsequent screeding is generally still performed by hand. Also, only one obstacle has been dealt with in this manner, and others remain. Beyond these points, the object placed above the exposed plumbing is an appliance, and not a structural member of the residential unit.
The following references provide examples of individual features of the novel method, but these occur outside the context of the novel method.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,079,890, issued to Marian L. Kubik et al. on Jan. 14, 1992, illustrates a concrete slab member having an upper surface undisturbed by protrusion of structural members. This slab member is a self-contained member cooperating with other coplanar members. This reference teaches away from the concept of providing a single, continuous slab member of a building, in that there are other members present, all members collectively defining an upper surface. Furthermore, there is no contemplation of extending a vertical support member through the poured slab.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,598,517, issued to Yngve Alvarsson on Jul. 8, 1986, discloses the use of ring like spacers placed around members projecting through a poured concrete floor. The spacer has two fold significance. The first is that a structural beam passing through the concrete floor need not contact the floor, thus imposing load or weight stresses thereto, which would, in time, cause the floor to crack. The spacer provides a sleeve defining a penetration through the new slab.
The second purpose, of greater importance to the present invention, is to provide continuity to a screed support member which is interrupted by the presence of the same beam. It is important to note that the spacer accommodates the beam, and the beam remains in place., projecting through the plane of the finished floor slab. Accommodation and acceptance of this projection teach against the method of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,434,600, issued to Henrik A. Backman on Mar. 6, 1984, discloses a method for extending a concrete column upwardly by preforming a base for the same. There is little subject matter relevant to the method of the present invention, in that, among other differences, the preformed base of Backman '600 is not related to a floor slab serving the entire corresponding floor level.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,558 issued to W. Harley Boatsman on Nov. 19, 1991, discloses another box-like connector (see element 52 of FIG. 5), for enabling convenient extension of a vertical support member. Again, there is no interaction with a floor slab.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,099,360, issued to Christopher David Outram on Jul. 11, 1978, is directed to method and device for extending concrete columns upwardly. Rebar of each column terminates in a threaded socket. A threaded stud connects upper and lower sockets and, hence, columns.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,074,493, issued to Christopher David Outram on Feb. 21, 1978, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,096, issued to Harry B. Lancelot, III on Oct. 28, 1986 further discuss the concept of threaded socket connection of rebar.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,543,457, issued to Oscar A. Budlong on Dec. 1, 1970, discloses the use of liners to form knock-outs in a cast concrete vault.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,269, issued to Robert L. Giard on Dec. 27, 1983, illustrates an eye cast in place, within a depression, in a product similar to a concrete column.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,202,378, issued to Lyman F. Bush et al. on May 13, 1980, illustrates one type of rebar safety cap for rendering less dangerous rebar extending upwardly from a poured slab. The present invention abolishes such extensions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,612,747, issued to Wolfhart Andra et al. on Sep. 23, 1986, generally concerns insertions of dowels and the like into aligned cavities in concrete structures, and is of limited relevance to the present invention.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.